The Family Business: Snowflake and Mistletoe
by Primavera Rathbone
Summary: I decided to write a short Christmas fic for my HxH fic The Family Business. All their lives, Kite and Cerridwen have secretly wanted nothing more than to have a "real" Christmas. One year, while Ging is away, they finally get their opportunity; and they decide to take full advantage of it. Fluff.
1. One Snowy Morning

It was a cold, snowy December, and Ging was off on a hunting trip. Cerridwen and Kite were left alone at the small cottage they had been staying in while Ging trained them, with no idea when he'd return. He had left them with specific instructions to train every day, and they followed it diligently; however, Ging's absence still left them with more freedom than they had in years. Unsure of what to do with themselves, they muddled through as best they could. 

"Did you use up all the hot water again?" Kite asked with a smirk as a freshly-showered Cerridwen in a sky-blue bathrobe made her way out of the bathroom and into the livingroom. Due to the small size of the cottage and the undefined boundaries between many of the rooms, he could see her clearly from his seat at the kitchen table. Taking a small sip of his tea, he added, "Wait...is that my bathrobe?" 

"Yes, and yes," she replied, letting her long purple hair fall out of the towel she had it wrapped in and beginning to dry it out. "I went to take mine off the rack and it kind of fell into the water." 

"Ah, understandable," Kite said, turning his attention back to the laptop on the table before him. 

Cerridwen stretched, draping the towel around her shoulders and walking over to the picture window at the other side of the livingroom. Normally, she would be able to see a narrow dirt road, with a patch of woods on the other side, leading into an expansive forest. For the past two weeks, however, there had been practically nothing but snow as far as the eye could see. 

"It's beautiful out there," she sighed, glancing over her shoulder at Kite. "Isn't it?" 

He looked up at her, smiling. "Yes, it's breathtaking." After a moment, he inquired, "Would you like a cup of tea? The kettle is probably still hot." 

"Oh, yes, please," she answered, turning and heading toward the kitchen. Bare feet making gentle tapping sounds on the linoleum floor, she pulled out the chair next to Kite's and sat down. 

Kite got up and retrieved a small, ebony teacup with a red rose on it from the cupboard, filled it with tea from the kettle on the stove, and sat back down. 

The pair sat there in silence for a short while, Kite drinking his tea and tapping away on the laptop, Cerridwen drinking her tea and staring out the kitchen window wistfully. 

Kite turned his attention away from the computer to look at Cerridwen, who was oblivious to his gaze. The overcast sunlight shone strongly on the snow blanketing the deck, which reflected brilliantly in her bright emerald eyes. He lost himself in them, thinking about everything those eyes had seen since he met her; aside from the few plays they had managed to sneak into theatres to see as kids, and some of the places outdoors where they had trained in recent years, it was more bad than good. 

He wanted to change that. 

He wanted to give her something truly beautiful. 

"Carrie," he began gently, so as to not startle her, "I want to talk to you about something." 

She arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Is it about the bathrobe? Because my only other option would have been to use Ging's, and that would feel more than a little weird." 

Kite chuckled. "No, it's not...though you should go put some clothes on soon." 

Cerridwen giggled. 

"I was thinking," Kite continued, leaning forward, "while Ging's gone, we have time to do more than just train our Nen every day, and we have the house to ourselves." 

Cerridwen cocked her head; she had no idea where he was going with this. 

"Let's have Christmas," he declared, beaming. 

She blinked a few times. "But Kite, we've always managed to have Christmas before, even if it was just giving each other some small thing we managed to swipe from the market stalls." 

"Well, yes," he conceded with a shrug, "but I mean...let's have a _real_ Christmas. With a tree, and lights, and eggnog, and everything." 

"Trust me, we should skip the eggnog," she laughed. "I'm only seventeen, I can't just go buy booze for it." 

"I mean, I'm twenty-one," Kite responded, furrowing his brow under his blue hat, "but eggnog doesn't _need_ to have alcohol in it." 

Cerridwen involuntarily let out an almost obnoxious guffaw. 

"Oh yes it does. Ging gave me some a couple years ago and it was absolutely horrible; the alcohol makes you not care about how disgusting it tastes," she finished with a scowl. 

Kite smiled. "Okay, no eggnog then. What do you say?" 

She stared into her tea, contemplating the proposal. She had always secretly wanted to have a "real" Christmas, but when she and Kite were living in the sewers, it wasn't exactly a realistic goal. They did the best they could for each other, and she was happy with that. 

Kite reached over and placed his hand on top of hers.

"Carrie." 

She met his gaze, finding only enthusiasm and warmth in his hazel-brown eyes. 

"I want to do this for you," he said earnestly, lightly squeezing her hand. "For us. You deserve this." 

Cerridwen's heart skipped a beat. 

"Y-yeah, okay, let's do it," she replied, blushing slightly. "It should be fun." 

Kite grinned happily. "Wonderful. There's a huge Christmas store about an hour and a half from here; we can go after you get dressed if you'd like." 

Cerridwen nodded. "We'll have to clean the snow off the car...good thing Ging left it though." 

"Definitely," Kite agreed, standing up and helping Cerridwen to her feet. "I'll clean up in here and start on the car while you're getting ready." 

"Thank you," Cerridwen said with a sweet smile, turning away and heading for her bedroom.


	2. Snowflake and Wildflower

Cerridwen squinted, stepping out onto the bright, snowy deck. Small, feathery snowflakes were drifting lazily down from the cloudy sky. Kite was in the gravel driveway, brushing the snow off the car with an old broom. His hat and navy blue coat made him stand out against the snow, but Cerridwen was just realizing for the first time exactly how pale he was.

Giggling, she looked past him and mused, "Where did Kite go?"

Kite set down the broom, turning and looking at her in bewilderment. "What are you talking about? I'm right here."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cerridwen forced, trying not to giggle. "I thought you were just some snowflake wearing a weird blue hat."

Kite huffed, smirking and rolling his eyes. "Really, Carrie?"

She gave in and erupted into a fit of giggles, leaning against the railing as she made her way down the steps.

"I'm sorry," she managed, gesturing to the snow-coated ground, "it's just, your hair is white, and you're pale, and with all this...you kind of blend in."

Kite put his hands on his hips, fighting back a full-blown smile.

"Like a snowflake," Cerridwen added, her fit of giggles over. "My tall, protective snowflake."

Kite chuckled, slipping his hands into his pockets and making his way over to her.

"Well, you stick out like a sore thumb," he declared, looking her up and down. She wore a huge black coat and a bright green scarf, her violet hair cascading down past her waist.

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh, do I?"

"Oh yes, incredibly so," he said emphatically.

She chortled. "Like what, a neon sign?"

"No," he replied with a faint smile. "Like a wildflower."

Cerridwen let out a small gasp, taken aback by how serious he seemed.

"An incredibly stubborn wildflower," he clarified with a grin, "not willing to let a little blizzard put an end to its beauty."

Cerridwen felt her ears turn red, and was suddenly very happy her hair was covering them.

"My delightful, determined wildflower," he finished, a tender smile gracing his lips.

Cerridwen's cheeks flushed a bright pink, and Kite resisted the urge to laugh; he wondered if she knew how adorable she looked.

Cerridwen scrunched her face up indignantly, then reached out and snatched Kite's hat off his head. With a mischievous grin, she whipped around and started to run away from him, into the snowy field behind the cottage.

"Hey!" Kite shouted, chasing after her, alabaster hair flying behind him. "Carrie, get back here!"

"No way! You gotta catch me first!" she laughed, glancing over her shoulder to see that he was quickly catching up to her. In a moment of panic, she started to lose her balance. She pivoted around, trying to right herself. "Oh, _shit_!"

Kite reached her and grabbed on to her wrist, but she fell backward into the snow anyway, pulling him down on top of her.

"...ouch," Cerridwen mumbled, wiping a clump of snow off her cheek.

Kite propped himself up with one arm, using his other hand to brush Cerridwen's bangs out of her eyes.

"Carrie, are you alright?" he asked, concern flooding his face.

"I'm fine, Kite," she replied, arching her back as she stretched beneath him, before reaching up and putting his hat back on his head. Looking into his eyes, she smirked and said, "Here, I think this belongs to -"

Cerridwen froze, seeing something in Kite's gaze that she had never seen before. It was similar to the way he looked at her when she smiled, or sang, or laughed, or drank her tea, and yet there was something more behind it. Was it fear? Was it joy? And why was it making her heart threaten to burst out of her chest?

"...to you," she breathed, not able to tear her eyes from his.

Kite stared at Cerridwen's face, unable to move. He could tell from her expression: apprehension in her gaze, her lips ever so slightly parted, that she could see the difference behind his eyes. But he wasn't sure if she knew what to make of it. Up until quite recently, he hadn't known what to make of the feeling either. But as they laid there in the snow, his heart racing uncontrollably, he figured it out.

He was falling in love with her.

"Kite," Cerridwen began, tucking his hair behind his ear and arching an eyebrow, "are you okay?"

Kite snapped out of his trance, clearing his throat and jumping to his feet.

"Yes, of course," he declared in a somewhat flustered manner, holding a hand down to Cerridwen and helping her stand.

"So, are we gonna get going?" Cerridwen asked, a hopeful smile on her face. "The sooner we get back, the sooner we can start decorating!"

Kite smirked, his heart warming at how excited this whole Christmas thing was making her.

"Sure, let's go," he grinned, turning and heading for the car. Reaching it and opening the passenger door for Cerridwen, he added, "Ging left us more than enough 'emergency money' to where we should be able to get a tree and a decent amount of ornaments for it, and still have plenty left over in case of an actual emergency."

Cerridwen giggled, climbing into the car.

"It's almost like he knew," she commented as he closed the door behind her.

Kite paused, furrowing his brow. It _was_ almost like Ging knew...but he couldn't have...could he?

Shrugging, Kite walked around the car and opened the driver's side door.


	3. Gathering the Garlands

The Christmas store was, indeed, massive. The instant that Cerridwen and Kite stepped through its large, green doors, their breath was taken away. There were rows upon rows of Christmas decorations for what seemed like eternity: trees, ornaments, lights, statues, nutcrackers...some decorations nearly reached the ceiling.

After wandering through the practical forest of Christmas trees, both artificial and live, they decided on an absolutely gorgeous live fir tree. It stood roughly as tall as Kite, with full branches and a strong pine scent. They also picked out a string of vibrant multicolored lights to weave into the branches. Next came the tree topper: a stained glass star. With that done, it was time to find ornaments and other extraneous decorations.

They wandered the endless aisles of ornaments for a long while, picking out boxes of plain colored orbs, festively-shaped ornaments, and even bird-shaped ones to clip onto the tree branches (some of which had real feathers, which thrilled Cerridwen to no end). As Cerridwen looked at the ornaments, however, one in particular caught her eye.

"Kite!" she called excitedly, taking the ornament off the rack and holding it just in front of her face. "Come take a look at this!"

Kite walked up behind her, laughing and wrapping his arms around her waist. "What is it?"

Her heart leapt, both from his embrace and her joy. "Look at this ornament," she urged. "Just look at how frickin _perfect_ this thing is."

Kite rested his chin on top of her head, chuckling and draping his arms over her shoulders. "Okay, what's so special about this ornament?"

Cerridwen raised her hand higher, and Kite felt a huge smile spread across his face; it was an elaborate frosted glass snowflake, about three inches in diameter, the tips of which were a light blue ombre.

"It's beautiful," he whispered, reaching out to gingerly touch it.

"It's you," she said, her smile audible in her voice.

Kite started to blush, suddenly making him very thankful that Cerridwen couldn't see his face. Suddenly, his eyes fell upon another ornament hanging on the rack, not far from where Cerridwen found the snowflake.

Pointing to it, he cooed, "Carrie, look."

She gasped.

Hanging there was a small glass violet, with petals the same color as Cerridwen's hair, its stem and leaves a deep luscious green.

"I love it," she breathed, transfixed on it.

"It's you," Kite said with a grin, hugging her tightly from behind.

Now it was Cerridwen's turn to blush, and she did, until her face was almost as red as the Santa Claus hats a few aisles over. Kite let go of her and walked over to the rack, carefully removing the ornament and holding it up at eye-level.

Clearing her throat to help her regain composure, Cerridwen inquired, "So we're buying these, right?"

Kite gave a half-grin. "Of course."

* * *

"You two sure bought a lot," the cashier observed as she carefully bagged Cerridwen and Kite's items. She looked to be in her forties, with curly auburn hair and bright purple horn-rimmed glasses. "First Christmas together?" she asked with a smile.

Kite opened his mouth to reply, but Cerridwen beat him to it with an excited, "Yes, it is."

The woman grinned. "How long have you two been together?"

"Thirteen years," she replied nonchalantly.

Kite dragged his hand down his face, and the woman's jaw dropped.

"That's...that's not what she meant, Carrie," Kite muttered, his ears turning pink.

Cerridwen cocked her head in confusion, turning to face him. "Oh?"

"She thinks we're dating," he clarified, the pink starting to travel to his face.

Gradually, Cerridwen's eyes widened to roughly the size the golf balls. "Oh... _oh!_ " Turning back to the woman, she hastily clarified, "No, no, we're not dating."

"Yeah, no, we're close friends," Kite chimed in, almost stumbling over his words.

"You sure?" the woman asked, a wry smirk on her lips. "I saw the two of you over in the ornament section. Yeah, you _could_ just be good friends, but I'm pickin up on a little something more."

Kite's heart stopped, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously; Cerridwen's eyes darted around the checkout section nervously.

"I think you're mistaken," Kite managed, his voice far more even than he thought it would be.

Cerridwen nodded quickly. "Yeah, what he said."

The woman chuckled, putting the last of their bags into their cart. "Whatever you say. Just remember, Christmas is a time of magic; you never know what might happen."

Cerridwen resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Grabbing hold of the cart, she said hastily, "Thank you, Merry Christmas," before bolting for the door.

Kite and the cashier stared after her.

"You like her, don't you?"

Kite turned to her, ready to object.

"You can lie to me if you want, sport," she said gently. "But please tell me you're not lying to yourself."

Kite gave reluctant sigh. "I doubt our mentor would be thrilled if we started dating," he answered in a dour tone. "He already has a slight issue with how close we are; he rarely gets one of us to side against the other if there's a disagreement."

She brought her hand down on the counter. "This isn't about him! This is about you...and her."

Kite gave a soft smile, looking out the window in the door to see Cerridwen standing there, waiting patiently for him.

"Maybe one day," he said, "but not now. We've known each other almost all our lives; I don't want to make her uncomfortable."

She nodded knowingly. "Well, go on then. I'm sure she's waiting for you. Merry Christmas!"

"Thanks, Merry Christmas to you as well," he replied, tipping the brim of his hat as he headed for the exit.


	4. Silver and Gold

Kite and Cerridwen managed to get the tree set up in the corner of the livingroom near the fireplace without any major mishaps, and strung the lights with only a few exclamations of "shit" or "son of a bitch," mostly from Cerridwen. They hung the vast majority of the ornaments on the tree, then decided to take a break and decorate the rest of the inside of the cottage. Kite had just finished winding a string of twinkling lights around the mantle above the fireplace, when he felt Cerridwen start playing with his hair. He froze, unsure how to react. 

"Carrie? What are you doing?" he asked. 

"Decorating you," she replied casually, continuing to play with his hair. "Sit down, it'll make it easier on me." 

Stifling a laugh, Kite complied with her request and lowered himself to the floor, sitting cross-legged in front of the empty fireplace. She knelt down behind him, continuing to intertwine strands of his hair upon themselves. Kite closed his eyes and smiled, surprised at how much he was enjoying the sensation. They sat there in content silence for a short while, until Cerridwen removed a hair tie from her wrist and slid it onto Kite's hair. 

"Okay," she said, beaming proudly and patting him on the shoulder. "You can look now." 

He rose to his feet, making his way over to a nearby mirror and turning so he could see his back. Cerridwen had wrangled his hair into one long braid...and she had woven a shimmering silver garland into it. He arched an eyebrow, honestly strangely fond of how it looked, and Cerridwen burst into a fit of giggles. 

Kite turned back to her and grinned mischievously, slowly reaching for a nearby box of decorations resting on the arm of the old tweed couch. 

"...Kite?" Cerridwen queried nervously, shifting into a crouching position. She figured this way if she had to spring into motion, she could. "What are you doing?" 

Kite felt around in the box until his fingers brushed against a soft, frilly strand. He grabbed hold of it decisively. 

"Now it's your turn," he declared, his grin growing. 

" _Fuck_ ," Cerridwen gasped, her eyes growing wide as she jumped to her feet and tried to run away. 

Kite only laughed, leaping after her. Thanks to his incredibly long legs, he caught up to her before she could get even halfway across the room and tackled her to the floor. Cerridwen fell onto her stomach, trying to wiggle her way out of Kite's arms, trying not to laugh in order to preserve her pride. Kite let go of her and quickly shifted into a kneeling position, straddling her and planting himself firmly on the small of her back. 

"You might as well give up," Kite taunted with a playful chuckle, reaching forward and gingerly grabbing hold of Cerridwen's hair. "You're mine." 

Cerridwen's heart skipped a beat. A tremor shook her frame, but she managed to mask it with laughter. 

"Alright, alright! I give!" she managed, raising her hands in defeat. "But do you think we could maybe do this sitting up? My hair's just as long as yours, and I'll probably get uncomfortable laying like this for that long." 

Kite paused a moment, a contemplative expression on his face. 

"Yeah, okay," he conceded, standing up and helping Cerridwen to her feet before returning to their previous location by the empty hearth. Cerridwen sat cross-legged on the floor, and Kite knelt down behind her. 

Cerridwen exhaled slowly as Kite began to braid her hair. She focused on the feeling of his fingers running through the strands, her eyelids fluttering shut at the sensation. She had no idea why, but she was definitely enjoying it. After a while, a shiver went down her spine. 

But not from Kite playing with her hair. 

"Is it getting chilly in here?" Cerridwen inquired, breaking the pleasant silence. 

Kite thought a moment, then said, "It could just be that you don't have your hair braided back very often. I'm a little chilled too, but I've literally never had mine braided so it must be that. Takes a minute to get used to." 

Cerridwen shrugged. "I guess that makes sense." 

Smirking, Kite returned his attention to her hair. As he was finishing it up, however, he trembled violently. 

"It _is_ getting colder in here," he declared, wrapping a hair tie around the end of Cerridwen's braid. Placing a hand on her back, he added, "Go ahead and take a look; I'm going to check the furnace." 

Cerridwen stood, walking over to the mirror, while Kite made his way over to the metal closet in the kitchen and began to inspect the furnace. She turned so she could see the thick purple braid running down her back, decorated with a glittering gold garland. She smiled, eyeing it a moment longer before wandering over to stand behind Kite. 

"It's no use," Kite lamented from where he was crouched on the ground, scrutinizing the furnace with a flashlight. "The furnace isn't working...and I'm not entirely sure if I can get it going again." 

"Well, shit," Cerridwen sighed. She glanced over at the clock above the stove. "And it's too late to call the furnace company now; it's eight in the evening." 

Kite rose to his feet and shut the metal accordion door. Brushing the dust off his pants, he said, "I'll call them first thing in the morning. In the meantime, we should get a fire going." 

Cerridwen nodded. 

"I'll go put the wood in; would you please put this back and bring me the lighter?" he asked, handing her the flashlight. 

"Of course," she responded, turning and going over to the counter by the sink. She set the flashlight down in the corner, and opened up the far-left drawer to retrieve the lighter. Closing the drawer, she went back into the livingroom and crouched down alongside Kite. 

"Thank you, Carrie," Kite said with a smile, taking the lighter from her and using it on the logs in the fireplace. 

The small, orange flame had them both transfixed, watching intently as it caught the logs on fire and gradually grew. They sat there for a short while, trying to warm up somewhat before finishing the decorating. 

Cerridwen looked over at Kite, a small smile making its way across her lips. He had his braid draped over his shoulder and was looking down at it wistfully. She admired the way the firelight danced on the silver garland, and how nicely the sparkle mingled with his pure-white hair. 

Once he was sure she wasn't looking, Kite glanced over at Cerridwen. She was playing with her braid absent-mindedly, emerald eyes transfixed on the fire in the hearth. She seemed to be enjoying herself despite the lack of proper heating, and knowing that made Kite all the happier. 

"Well," Cerridwen interjected, breaking the silence, "I'll finish putting the ornaments up if you finish with the lights and stuff." 

Kite turned to her and smiled, his heart warming. 

"Yeah, alright, that sounds good," he replied, standing up and holding his hand down to her.


	5. Mistletoe Kiss

"Kite?" Cerridwen called from where she stood by the Christmas tree. It was almost completely decorated, save for two ornaments. "Come over here and put yourself on the tree."

Kite turned to face her, turning his attention away from the large picture window he had been stringing lights and garland around. She was standing in front of the tree, staring at it with a very perplexed expression. Confused, he made his way over to her.

"I'm sorry, what?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow and resting a hand on her shoulder.

Not looking away from the tree, Cerridwen raised her arm and held the glass snowflake ornament in front of his face.

"Put yourself on the tree," she repeated. "I figure it's only fitting."

"But _you_ found the ornament; I think you should do it. I leave myself in your capable hands," Kite smirked.

Cerridwen huffed, withdrawing her arm and saying, "Fine, but then _you_ get to put the purple flower on the tree."

"Sounds fair," Kite replied, reaching over and taking the delicate glass violet out of her other hand. He held it up for a moment, inspecting it thoughtfully, before scanning the tree for a suitable spot.

"Right there," he said, pointing at a surprisingly bare spot on the front of the tree. "There's room enough there for us to hang them next to each other."

Cerridwen turned to him, tilting her head. "Why next to each other?"

"Well," Kite began, shrugging, "you and I have been inseparable since the day we met. Why should these ornaments be any different?"

Cerridwen blushed slightly, before nodding in agreement.

"Okay, yeah, good call," she said.

They both reached out at the same time, hanging the ornaments next to each other in one synchronized motion. They stood there for a moment, silently admiring the way the multicolored lights twinkled on the smooth glass shapes.

Cerridwen smiled warmly as she felt Kite wrap an arm around her, gently pulling her closer against his side. She let out a quiet sigh, leaning against him. The tree was absolutely beautiful; she couldn't tear her eyes from it. Shivering, she tried to pull herself closer to Kite.

Kite let out a quiet gasp of surprise, feeling Cerridwen's sudden shaking. Chuckling, he wound his other arm around her and pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Yes, the fire is dying down a bit," he commented, just realizing how cold it was becoming.

"Mm-hm," Cerridwen mumbled, resting her head against his chest.

"You add some more wood to the fire," Kite said, kissing the top of her head. "I'll gather blankets and pillows from the bedrooms. I think we should sleep in here, by the fire; it's too cold to sleep in our rooms tonight."

"Good idea," Cerridwen replied, reluctantly breaking away from him and crouching down in front of the fireplace. "Warmth. Need."

Kite laughed, turning and heading toward his bedroom.

Cerridwen gradually added three more logs to the fire, being careful to not smother the flames. She knelt there, cautiously stoking the fire with the metal poker, until it reached a satisfactory level. Smiling at her work, she set the poker back in its stand and rose to her feet. She took a moment to admire the lights and garland that Kite had draped on the mantle. There was also a red-and-green pillar candle resting on either end. Slowly, her gaze traveled up the side of the chimney, until it fell upon something hanging halfway up its height.

She tilted her head, unsure of what she was looking at.

"Kite?" she called, not moving from where she stood below the mysterious object. "What is this?"

Kite wandered from Cerridwen's room back into the livingroom, his arms piled high with pillows and blankets.

"What's what?" he inquired, setting the bundle on the couch.

"That," Cerridwen answered, pointing up.

Kite followed the direction of her finger to see a small bunch of green leaves and delicate white berries that he had affixed to the stones. Involuntarily, he felt himself start to blush.

 _Why did I even buy that?_ he thought, eyes wide. _What the hell was I thinking?_

"...Kite?" Cerridwen queried, looking at him with concern.

"It's mistletoe," he managed, trying to regain composure. "I just got it for decoration; I hear it's more or less a dead tradition anyway."

"What's the tradition?" Cerridwen probed, arching an eyebrow.

"It started in ancient times," Kite explained, unconsciously pulling his braid over his shoulder. "People would hang mistletoe in doorways, and if someone was standing beneath it, it was customary to kiss them."

"Kiss them?" Cerridwen repeated, surprised.

Kite nodded. "On the lips."

"Oh," Cerridwen said, glancing away from Kite and back up at the mistletoe.

"Yeah," Kite laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kind of a dumb tradition, righ-"

"Kiss me."

Kite froze, looking up to see that Cerridwen was looking straight at him, her gaze unwavering. "What?"

"You heard me, silly," she giggled. "Kiss me."

"C-Carrie?" he stuttered, his eyes widening. "Are you sure?"

Cerridwen smiled sweetly. "Yes. It's a Christmas tradition, right? Let's go all-out. It'll be fun."

Kite blinked.

"Come here," Cerridwen smirked, waving him over to her. After a moment, he complied, walking over and standing in front of her, the fireplace to his right.

Kite looked at Cerridwen, the firelight dancing playfully in the lavender glass stone in her pendant, casting a warm lustre upon her skin. He felt his heart skip a beat as he let his gaze travel to her emerald eyes, which were regarding him expectantly. Feeling his ears grow hot, he quickly leaned forward and planted the lightest of kisses on Cerridwen's lips, pulling back just as rapidly.

Cerridwen let out a breathy chuckle, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Aww, come on Kite," she said playfully. "Like you mean it."

Kite smiled nervously, reaching out and gently taking hold of Cerridwen's hand. He wanted to kiss her like he meant it, but truth be told he was afraid. Afraid that if he did, he wouldn't want to stop...or wouldn't be able to stop. What if it made things awkward between them? He couldn't stand the idea of their relationship deteriorating. She had been the one constant in his life for so long; he didn't want to lose her. Gazing into her eyes, he brought his other hand up and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

Cerridwen smiled gently, her heart fluttering as she met Kite's surprisingly intense stare. Until Ging came along, Kite was the closest thing to family that Cerridwen had. Recently, however, her feelings for him had blossomed into something more. She had to admit, she had been looking for an excuse to kiss Kite for a while...but she was frankly too scared to act on the impulse. What if it weirded him out? Or worse, made him angry? No, it was better to wait and see if Kite would kiss her instead. This whole mistletoe thing proved to be just the opportunity she needed, and she wasn't about to pass the chance up.

"Kite," Cerridwen began in a whisper as he placed a hand on her cheek.

Wordlessly, Kite took a step closer to her, leaving only a minuscule distance between them. He could feel his heart racing as he looked down at her, the firelight glowing in her eyes, her lips parted ever so slightly.

"Carrie," he breathed after a moment, feeling his cheeks begin to turn a faint pink.

Cerridwen looked up at Kite, her pulse pounding in her ears. She had heard him call her that countless times before, but something about the way he said it just then made her go weak. The firelight reflected in his hazel eyes, seeming to ignite something within them.

Kite bridged the gap between them, closing his eyes, his lips embracing Cerridwen's tenderly, yet firmly. Cerridwen's eyelids fluttered shut as she leaned into his kiss, feeling herself blushing like wild. Kite felt his cheeks flush as well, one hand caressing the side of her face just below her jaw, the other with its fingers entwined with hers. Cerridwen let her free hand wander up to the hand Kite had on her face, gliding up his arm to rest on his shoulder. They stayed like that for roughly half a minute, both their hearts racing in unison, their temperatures high.

Opening their eyes, they slowly broke apart, neither one letting go of the other's hand.

"So..." Cerridwen said after a few moments, "that was...that was a mistletoe kiss, huh?"

Kite looked at his feet anxiously, afraid that they had just driven a wedge between themselves.

"Yeah," he muttered with a nervous sigh.

Cerridwen took a step closer to him, standing on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck. Kite gasped in surprise as she moved so her lips were brushing against his ear.

"Not so dumb of a tradition after all," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

With that, she broke away from him and, grinning, made her way to her bedroom.

Kite brought a hand up to rest on his cheek, staring after her in shock.


	6. Sleeping by Firelight

"Cerridwen, are you almost done in there?" Kite called from where he sat in the livingroom. He had piled up the pillows and blankets from the three bedrooms into a sort of nest in front of the couch, right by the warmth of the fireplace. A few pillows were propped up against the couch, and he was sitting with his back leaning against half of them. 

"Just a second," Cerridwen answered from the kitchen. She set a dirty pot in the sink, filled it with water, and then retrieved two mugs filled with steaming hot chocolate from the table. Being careful not to spill them, she made her way into the livingroom and stepped into the blanket nest. Easing herself down to the floor, she handed Kite one of the mugs and leaned against the pillows next to him. 

"Oh, thank you," Kite said, gingerly taking hold of the incredibly warm mug. "This should definitely help keep us comfortable." 

"Mm-hm," she agreed, tucking her knees up to her chest and clutching her mug of hot chocolate. 

The two had both changed into pajamas, somewhat altered to accommodate for the nonfunctional furnace. Kite left on his white turtleneck and put on a pair of black fleece pajama bottoms (and still wore his hat), while Cerridwen had changed into her favorite skull-print pajama bottoms and a slightly oversized royal blue cowlneck sweater. They simply sat there for a while, sipping the hot chocolate, basking in the warmth of the fire, admiring the twinkling lights hung about the room. They finished their drinks and set the empty mugs aside, stretching out and burrowing themselves under the blankets. 

Suddenly, Cerridwen gasped. 

"Kite, look," she whispered, pointing toward the large window across the room from them. 

Kite shifted his gaze from the tree to the window to see that, among the flickering stars in the ebony sky, a flurry of snowflakes was cascading to the ground. 

"It's beautiful," Kite commented, his stare transfixed on the snow. He watched as the flakes layered themselves on top of the pillows of snow already draped upon the tree branches across the road, still visible under the bright glow of moonlight. 

Cerridwen trembled violently; Kite jumped slightly and turned to eye her concern. 

"Still cold?" he inquired, tilting his head. 

Chuckling, she nodded. "A little, yeah. I'm sure I'll warm up soon though." 

Gently, Kite wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 

"Soon isn't soon enough," he said with a smirk. "Come here." 

Cerridwen pressed herself closer against Kite's side, the heat radiating from his body pulling her in. Sighing, she laid her head on his chest and rested her hand on his opposite shoulder near the base of his neck. 

"Kite?" she said quietly, reaching up and twirling a stray strand of his ivory hair around her finger. 

"Hm?" he replied, staring blankly up at the ceiling. 

"Do you seriously still sleep in your hat?" she asked with a giggle, before reaching up and tugging playfully on its brim. 

"Sometimes," he admitted, taking it off and setting it on the couch behind them, "but not tonight." 

Cerridwen chuckled, before carefully sliding upward to plant a delicate kiss on Kite's cheek, relatively close to his ear. Involuntarily, Kite closed his eyes and shuddered, a faint band of pink crossing his face. 

"Wha-what was that for?" he asked in a breathy voice as Cerridwen nestled her head against his chest once more. 

"Thank you, Kite," she answered in a whisper, lightly squeezing his shoulder. 

He exhaled through his nose in amusement. "For what?" 

Cerridwen scoffed. "For everything, silly. The tree, the lights, the decorations, the braid in my hair...hell, even the mistletoe kiss." 

Kite felt a grin sweep across his face. 

"Thank you for our first 'real' Christmas," she finished, starting to play with his hair once more. "It means more to me than you know." 

Kite's smile grew as he brought his hand up to gently stroke her hair, bringing his other arm over to wrap around her petite waist. Cerridwen let out a contented sigh, her gaze fixed on the flickering glow of the hearth. 

"Merry Christmas, Wildflower," Kite cooed, lightly kissing the top of her head. 

Cerridwen's heart skipped a beat. 

"Merry Christmas, Snowflake," Cerridwen responded in a gentle voice. Closing her eyes, she let herself get lost in the steady sound of Kite's heartbeat, the rhythmic pattern of his breathing, the soothing sensation of him stroking her hair, and the secure feeling of his strong arms around her. 

Kite gave a soft smile as Cerridwen began to unconsciously stroke the side of his neck with her thumb, more than likely starting to drift off to sleep. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in aromas of burning wood, pine needles, and Cerridwen's vanilla scented shampoo. For the first time in a while, he felt completely at peace, like everything was right in the world...and he couldn't help but wonder if it was because it was the first time in a while that he and Cerridwen had managed to be alone together. Before Ging, the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms on a regular basis; Kite was just then realizing how much he had missed it. 

Cautiously, Kite turned his head and planted one more tender kiss upon the sleeping Cerridwen's forehead. 

"You have no idea how much you mean to me," he breathed, reclining his head on his pillow and pulling the blankets tighter around them both before embracing Cerridwen once more. "And I don't know if you ever will." 

Shutting his eyes once more, he gradually drifted off to sleep.


End file.
